Bears in swimming pools… in Los Angeles? Of course I had to find out more.

I've been studying bears and working with them in the wild for over 30 years, and I thought I'd seen it all. Polar bears in Canada, grizzlies in Alaska, Andean bears in South America. But I never thought I’d be racing to see a family of black bears lounging in a pool in a swanky LA  neighborhood. 

A lot of my work is about keeping bears and people away from each other. Avoiding bear-human conflict. Bears belong in the wild, doing wild things surrounded by roots, berries, and forests… not hanging out with inflatable unicorns in swimming pools. But these LA bears are doing just that. And as you’ll hear, opinions about it run the gamut. 

On today’s episode, I travel to LA to get to know these famous pool-loving bears, and see if it is possible for bears and humans to live side by side. What happens when bears make our home their home?

We’ve been nominated for a Signal award! A real honor. This award would mean the world to us and help us reach even more listeners. If you’d like to vote for us, click here. Voting closes October 15, 2026.

Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community atwww.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife and you can donate to KUOW at kuow.org/donate/thewild. Thank you.

THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with Chris Morgan Wildlife and Wildlife Media. It is produced by Matt Martin and Lucy Soucek, and edited by Jim Gates. Writing for this episode by Christopher Preston. It is hosted, produced and written byChris Morgan. Fact checking by Apryle Craig. Our theme music is by Michael Parker.

Follow us on Instagram @chrismorganwildlife and @thewildpod for more adventures and behind the scenes action! We’re also on Tiktok! Check us out @chris.morgan.wildlife.

Bears in swimming pools&hellip; in Los Angeles? Of course I had to find out more.
I've been studying bears and working with them in the wild for over 30 years, and I thought I'd seen it all. Polar bears in Canada, grizzlies in Alaska, Andean bears in South America. But I never thought I&rsquo;d be racing to see a family of black bears lounging in a pool in a swanky LA&nbsp; neighborhood.&nbsp;
A lot of my work is about keeping bears and people away from each other. Avoiding bear-human conflict. Bears belong in the wild, doing wild things surrounded by roots, berries, and forests&hellip; not hanging out with inflatable unicorns in swimming pools. But these LA bears are doing just that. And as you&rsquo;ll hear, opinions about it run the gamut.&nbsp;
On today&rsquo;s episode, I travel to LA to get to know these famous pool-loving bears, and see if it is possible for bears and humans to live side by side. What happens when bears make our home their home?
We&rsquo;ve been nominated for a Signal award! A real honor. This award would mean the world to us and help us reach even more listeners. If you&rsquo;d like to vote for us, <a href="https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting?utm_campaign=signa5_entrant_finalistnotification_092926&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=cio#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/sustainability-environment">click here</a>. Voting closes October 15, 2026.
Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at<a href="https://www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife"> www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife</a> and you can donate to KUOW at <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/thewild">kuow.org/donate/thewild</a>. Thank you.
THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with<a href="https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/"> Chris Morgan Wildlife</a> and<a href="https://www.wildlifemedia.org/"> Wildlife Media</a>. It is produced by<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/matt-martin"> Matt Martin</a> and<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek"> Lucy Soucek</a>, and edited by<a href="https://kuow.org/authors/jim-gates"> Jim Gates</a>. Writing for this episode by Christopher Preston. It is hosted, produced and written by<a href="https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/bio"> Chris Morgan</a>. Fact checking by<a href="https://apryledcraig.wordpress.com/"> Apryle Craig</a>. Our theme music is by<a href="https://www.michaeltparker.com/"> Michael Parker</a>.
Follow us on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chrismorganwildlife/?hl=en">@chrismorganwildlife</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thewildpod/?hl=en">@thewildpod</a> for more adventures and behind the scenes action! We&rsquo;re also on Tiktok! Check us out <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@chris.morgan.wildlife">@chris.morgan.wildlife</a>.

The Wild with Chris Morgan is a celebration of the natural world and the people devoted to wild places and incredible species. In each episode, host and ecologist Chris Morgan brings you face to face with some of the most extraordinary creatures and explores how they are finding unique and inspiring ways to adapt and thrive.

 

The Wild with Chris Morgan is a celebration of the natural world and the people devoted to wild places and incredible species. In each episode, host and ecologist Chris Morgan brings you face to face with some of the most extraordinary creatures and explores how they are finding unique and inspiring ways to adapt and thrive.
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The Wild with Chris Morgan

Bears in swimming pools… in Los Angeles? Of course I had to find out more. 